'New era' for rail services between London St Pancras International, East Midlands and Luton Airport

East Midlands Railway will deliver more than £600 million of improvements including regular electric train services between London and Corby and Luton Airport

Improvements to St Pancras station, new trains and faster journeys to benefit passengers travelling between London, Luton Airport and the East Midlands

Partnership Agreements agreed today between Abellio and HS1 Ltd and London Luton Airport provide a package of improvements for passengers

Today, Abellio starts operating the East Midlands Railway, for the next eight years, which will bring a package of more than £600 million investment in improvements to rail services across the East Midlands and between Bedford, Corby, Wellingborough, Kettering, Luton Airport and London St Pancras.

East Midlands Railway, or EMR, will oversee the delivery of improvements to improve customers’ experience, improve rail connections and drive economic growth including more regular services between London St Pancras station and Luton Airport, with a new ‘Luton Airport Express’ style-service operated by a new all-electric fleet of trains that will also serve Luton, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and Bedford.

The positive changes to be brought in by EMR include:

Replacement of the entire intercity train fleet including 165 brand new intercity bi-mode carriages (33 trains) that will link cities in the North and East Midlands to London St Pancras, and the introduction of electric trains between London and Luton Airport Parkway, Luton, Wellingborough, Corby, Bedford and Kettering.

Investment of £20 million at all stations with specific improvements made at St Pancras including new waiting areas for all EMR customers including additional seating and better lounge areas.

More services with faster journey times on intercity routes between London St Pancras and the towns and cities of the East Midlands and the North

Doubling capacity into London St Pancras to take account of growing demand for rail travel between London and England’s Economic Heartland area

Partnership Agreements signed with HS1 Ltd which runs St Pancras Station and London Luton Airport Ltd to improve rail services and facilities for passengers, especially at St Pancras station

Dominic Booth, Managing Director of Abellio UK, said: “Abellio is delighted to have been entrusted to operate East Midlands Railway and we’ve already started on our £600 million investment package to transform rail services from towns like Corby, Bedford and also Luton Airport into London St Pancras station.”

Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris, said: “Abellio’s exciting plans for East Midlands Railway will make a real difference to passengers, delivering state-of-the-art trains with more seats, station improvements and trialling hydrogen fuel cell technology to ensure that East Midlands Railway becomes one of the most environmentally-friendly in the UK.

“This investment will also lead to more punctual journeys for passengers and play a major role in building a railway that’s fit for the future.”

Julian Edwards, Managing Director of East Midlands Railway, said: “Today is a new era for rail services on East Midlands Railway. We have begun to deliver on our promises with improved passenger compensation and a Price Promise for all passengers. We are investing in new and better trains, improved stations and more services, including between London and key destinations like London Luton Airport and Corby. Our customers will also notice significant improvements at St Pancras station when they arrive at and depart from the station.”

Other improvements include more cycle and car parking will be provided and smart ticketing will be rolled out by 2020.

Dyan Crowther, Chief Executive of HS1 Ltd said: “We’re delighted to be working in partnership with East Midlands Railway. We continuously strive to improve travel experiences for our customers and look forward to working with East Midlands Railway to invest in and improve the quality of our station facilities at St Pancras International for passengers at what is one of the UK’s flagship stations.”

Alberto Martin, Chief Executive of London Luton Airport (LLA), said: “We welcome the arrival of EMR and the commitment to provide an express-style service to the airport every half an hour from December 2020. Along with the arrival of the £225m Direct Air-Rail Transit service in 2021, linking Luton Airport Parkway station directly with the airport terminal, we will see a step change in rail connectivity between London and its fastest-growing airport.

“Once the developments are completed, passengers will be able to reach the airport terminal in a little under half an hour from central London. This transformation of service with its own sub brand, website, easier ticketing and dedicated platform at St Pancras will be welcomed by all passengers who travel to us by rail”

Below is a short film about the transformation to rail services that EMR will bring. You can also follow the launch of EMR on Twitter at #EMRLaunch.